Currently, a user accessing different network domains and a plurality of services offered over those domains will be assigned different subscription profiles in the different network domains and the corresponding network elements. For example, a typical user with a 4G smartphone may be assigned the following subscription profiles:                A Circuit Switched (CS) subscription granting access to a CS network domain and including profile settings for Voice/Short Message Service (SMS) while on CS coverage;        A Packet Switched (PS) subscription granting access to General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) data networks; and        An Evolved Packet System (EPS) subscription granting access to an EPS data network domain.        
Additional subscription profiles may be assigned to the user with the introduction of Voice over LTE (VoLTE):                An IP Multimedia System (IMS) subscription granting access to IMS service domain.        A Multimedia Telephony (MMTel) subscription enabling MultiMedia Telephony service for the user.        Additional subscriptions at different IMS Application Servers (AS) providing different type of services to the user (e.g. messaging, groups/presence, etc.).        
Except for the subscription profiles required for the IMS ASs (including the MMTel AS) all of the subscription profiles required are defined in a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) as specified in 3GPP TS 23.002. The HSS typically provides two separate/independent network functions i.e. a Home Location Register (HLR) and a HSS.
In particular mobile telecommunications networks, such as those including a UDC architecture deployment as defined in 3GPP TS 23.335, all required subscription profiles could be stored in a back-end data base (e.g. a UDR) and be associated with a user (i.e. multi-service consumer).
Operator Determined Barring (ODB) allows a network operator or service provider to regulate subscriber access to services, such as Circuit/Packet Oriented, Interworking Wireless Local Area Network (I-WLAN) and IMS based services, by barring e.g. certain categories of incoming or outgoing calls, Packet Oriented Services, or roaming.
3GPP TSs 23.015 and 24.315 describe the realization of ODB in CS, PS, EPS, I-WLAN and IMS networks. According to these specifications, different types of ODB are defined, as set out below:                Barring of Incoming/Outgoing Communications (including SMS). This includes one of barring all communications or barring communications under certain conditions, such as e.g. barring communications while roaming, barring premium rate communications and barring invocation of call transfer;        Barring of roaming;        Operator Specific Barring;        Barring of Supplementary Service Management; and        Barring of Packet Oriented Services.        
Different types of ODB apply to different types of access networks and services. For example, Barring of Outgoing Communications applies to voice and messaging services provided in a CS network domain and IMS/MMTel, while Barring of Packet Oriented services applies to data services offered via PS, EPS and I-WLAN network domains.
Different ODB types are controlled and administered by the network operator or service provider using administrative interaction with the HSS/HLR and IMS ASs. However, standards do not define either the administrative interactions, or the actual structure of the ODB types within the user profiles.
Typically, different ODB types are defined within the corresponding subscription profile in HLR, HSS-EPS, HSS-IMS and IMS-AS, wherein the different ODB types may be represented by a corresponding number of individual ODB indicators (ODBs) and a sort of status or flag indicating whether activated or inactivated.
When activated, and depending on the type of ODB or domain, ODBs may be invoked at an HSS, HLR, or AS. ODBs may also be invoked at an application front end (FE) node (e.g. a HSS-FE, a HLR-FE, Multimedia Telephony Application Server (MTAS) or other AS of a UDC architecture, which may be termed front end nodes. ODBs may also be invoked at a serving node (e.g. Mobile Switching Centre (MSC), Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN), Mobile Management Entity (MME), Call Session Control Function (CSCF)) depending on the type of ODB or network domain. For example, an ODB related to barring of originating communications in a CS network domain is invoked at the MSC.
The term “network node” is used herein to encompass HSSs, HLRs, ASs, FE nodes and serving nodes.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,799,490 B2 discloses a HSS Logic node connected with a permissions database and a user database, and also connected with a plurality of AS nodes. The permissions database includes, on a per AS basis, a number of permissions for a corresponding number of messages that can be received from the AS concerned. The permissions database is updated by the HSS as a result of messages received from the AS nodes.
US20040234060 A1 is directed to a method and system for deactivating a service account and discloses a barring indicator intended to bar and/or de-register a user in an IMS network. This barring indicator is sent from an AS, to which a service account for the user is associated and which monitors said service account, to a registration server, which maintains a registration status for the user. The registration server in this application corresponds to an IMS HSS receiving the barring indicator over the Sh interface from the IMS AS. That is, a barring of a user account is triggered from the AS to the HSS as a result of monitoring the account at the AS.